Mumbai, Jul 19 (PTI) Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad on Saturday demanded the removal of Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane from the state cabinet, accusing him of making communal remarks in violation of the spirit of the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference here, She alleged that Rane was consistently trying to create a Hindu-Muslim divide through provocative statements, including a recent remark suggesting that madrassas were breeding grounds for terrorism.
“A person holding a constitutional post should not make such communal and divisive comments. By doing so, Rane has disrespected the Constitution and democracy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must take serious note and immediately remove him from the cabinet,” Gaikwad said.
She further claimed that Rane has no control over his words and repeatedly targets a particular community.
“If the chief minister continues to ignore such statements, it will be seen as tacit support,” she added.
On the controversy surrounding the government’s alleged attempts to impose Hindi language in the primary school education in the state, Gaikwad said some elements were deliberately trying to politicise the issue.
“The Congress is not against any language. We are proud of Marathi and believe that education should be in the mother tongue. The government had issued two GRs and later withdrew them due to public opposition. There is no need to revive the issue unnecessarily,” she said.
When asked about Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide, she said his views are in line with the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The RSS never accepted the Constitution or the national flag. Even after Independence, it did not hoist the tricolour at its headquarters for 50 years. This Manuwadi ideology is being pushed to distract from the real issues faced by the people,” she alleged.
Shiv Pratisthan organisation led by Bhide, had sent a memorandum to the Sangli collectorate demanding that Islampur’s name be changed to Ishwarpur.
Based on the demand, the Maharashtra government on Friday announced that Islampur would be renamed as Ishwarpur. The announcement was made in the state legislature on the last day of the monsoon session. PTI MR NP
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